Method

1 Preheat oven and prepare pie dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a pie dish, approximately the same size as your tortillas (I used a 10-inch pyrex pie dish for 10-inch wide tortillas).

2 Layer the pie dish with tortillas, cheese, and fillings: Place one tortilla on the bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle some shredded cheese over the tortilla. At this point, you will begin to add your chosen filling ingredients, and layering the tortillas. Just make sure each layer has a generous sprinkling of cheese.

In the pictured example, I used cheese, black beans, and onion greens on the first layer. Then I added another tortilla on top of that and put chopped zucchini, chopped tomato, chopped pickled jalapenos, and more shredded cheese.

I also sprinkled a little cumin and chili powder on this layer. I added another tortilla and put more shredded cheese, more black beans, tomatoes and onions.

Top off your layers with one last flour tortilla. Spread a little butter over the surface of this tortilla.

3 Bake in oven: Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Put in oven for 30 minutes on 350°F. Then remove the foil and increase the heat to 400°F. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly.

Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into quarters.

Comments

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)

I’ve been making something just like this recently, but calling it tortilla pie. I love the name “quesadilla pie” because it’s really all about the fillings. I keep a container of leftover grated cheeses, all different types, mixed together in my freezer — perfect for dishes like this.

Here’s a question, though…if using chopped zucchini, should it be cooked a bit first so that it doesn’t make the pie soggy?

I’m going to try this with lots of green chiles and spinach…mmmm!

I used one fresh, chopped zucchini from my garden and it was no problem. The fresh tomato I squeezed to get some of the moisture out first. You could probably use fresh mushrooms too, as long as you didn’t use too many of them. ~Elise

Oh my! Of course we do quesadillas a lot here in SOCal, and because they’re easy to make w/ a kiddo around, etc. But I’ve never seen a quesadilla pie! I’ll be trying this out for sure… maybe using fat free tortillas (so I can pack in more cheese!)

Another great combo is black beans with mango, though I’m not sure how mango would fare being baked in the oven for so long. It might be better as a quick melt in the ‘typical’ quesadilla.

What a cute idea to put these in the pie pan. I love quesadillas & have it often esp. when alone.. stuff everything in & it’s done. I would use some sun dried tomatoes or pepper tortillas with it. Thanks!

This looks yummy!
Elise, the Mexican version of your quesadilla pie is called “Pastel Azteca” or Aztec Cake, made with corn tortillas, shredded chicken, poblano peppers, sour cream and cheese. You should try it too!

I was making quesadillas long before I knew they had a name. I tried something like this once because I thought it would be so great. It ended up with the tortillas being soggy and VERY chewy so I figured I’d use corn tortillas next time. Is that what not skipping the butter was all about?

If they were soggy, it might be because of the filling. Mushrooms, for example, are mostly water. If you have too many of them, or don’t cook out the moisture first, they will turn anything soggy. Also you want to cook the pie uncovered for a while so that the excess moisture can evaporate in the oven. ~Elise

I made this for dinner tonight and it was seriously delicious. And so fast! I used summer squash, orange bell pepper, green onions and fire roasted tomatoes. The top layer was nice and crispy but the layers below were soggy. I think next time I’ll have to drain the tomatoes better.

Thanks for another great recipe Elise!

Yes, you want to drain away or squeeze away any excess moisture from tomatoes if using. ~Elise

Do you have any idea if this would work with corn tortillas? I am trying to make it gluten free. Thanks so much for all the great recipes.

You might want to take a look at our Tex Mex lasagna, which uses corn tortillas. Corn tortillas, unless freshly homemade, must be softened before cooking, usually by heating with a little oil or butter in a frying pan. ~Elise

I started using olive oil for quesadilla-browning goodness & find it easier to control than butter. Also, a schmear of plain yogurt sitting next to any grated cheese really ties the whole thing together.

I’m just gonna type quesadilla a few more times ‘cuz i keep thinking I’m misspelling it. quesadilla. quesadilla. quesadilla.

Hi again! I did make this last night and it was great. What an easy way to make a pretty substantial quantity of quesadillas! I used corn tortillas, and they worked perfectly, although I have to admit I used the soft “handmade style” ones such as Abuelita’s.

I read: “Quesadilla Pie”, and instantly thought ‘dessert’?
Why not use brie, and or any fruit friendly cheese (cream cheese) and some dried berries, or other dried fruits. Maybe reconstitute the dried fruit in a wine or brandy first?
Drizzle freshly grated cinnamon and nutmeg, fresh chopped mint into the quesadilla. After it’s heated drizzle with a brandy sauce, simple icing, or caramel?

Just finished this for dinner. My husband and daughter loved it. Served it with some tomatilla salsa on the side. I usually have to follow a recipe exactly, not much of an ad lib chef, but I think I could do this again without the computer in front of me! Thanks.

Made this tonight and the husband loved it. Made it with red bell pepper, leeks, refried beans, one chicken breast. It was delicious and will be one of favs to make again and again. Forgot to cover it with foil and it was nice and crispy throughtout.

I made this last night. I simplified it by making the layers the same. BlackBeans, corn, onion, red pepper, jalapeno, chicken & then tossed it all with chili pwd and cumin. Did my layers, filling, then cheese. It all came out of the pan perfect. Hubby loved it. Served with the usual mexican condiments at our table, sour cream, salsa and guac…One more time saver, buy preshredded cheeses. This is a quick, simple, Budget friendly & Healthy dinner. We really enjoyed it.

None of my quesadilla made it into a “pie” but we did enjoy 2 days of cheesy goodness, with lots of weird fillings. This got me thinking about burritos and how I wish you would do a burrito article. For example what combinations are good, how to roll the burrito, does one fry the burrito, etc. I have mastered cheesy quesadilla goodness now I need burrito assistance.

Yes, that will be coming at some point. Thanks for the reminder. ~Elise

Just wanted to point out that on the last layer before you top off the pie with the final tortilla, make sure to put the shredded cheese on TOP of the filling, or else the final tortilla wont stick to the rest of the pie. This recipe is fabulous, the only difficult part is forcing yourself not to consume the entire pie in one sitting! thanks elise!

I made this yesterday for Father’s Day. I used some grilled onions I had left over, a shredded chicken breast, roasted red peppers, black beans, chilies, diced tomatoes, etc. It was fabulous! Seldom does a recipe really exceed expectations. I can’t wait to have the leftovers for dinner tonight. I want to try it using shredded pork, black beans and sweet potatoes next time.

Out of laziness, I did a vegetarian option with red onion, black beans, tomatoes, garlic and green bell pepper. I didn’t cook the veggies before and they turned out perfect! It even held together like a pie (once it cooled). I didn’t use many seasonings (a bit of cumin, chili powder and salt as you suggested) and was amazed at how much flavor it had. The cheese layers really made this dish awesome! I am bookmarking this to make again in the future and to keep as an option if I am ever cooking for vegetarians.

I am going backpacking this weekend and this seems like the perfect thing to cook afterwards – rich and easy. This will be on my menu next Tuesday after 35 miles of hiking through Sequoia NP. I’m already looking forward to being back ;)

This was great! We just had the leftovers tonight and they were good. It is just my husband and me now – so we do have leftovers. I warmed this up in the oven instead of the microwave so that it wouldn’t become soggy. As for the tomatoes, I used Roma tomatoes – more meat in them and less juice – it wasn’t soggy at all.

Just tried this recipe today with a guinea pig- er, I mean friend using left over pork roast, diced, and a piece of leftover pepperoni sliced and diced. Much to my surprise, these contrasting ingredients still blended perfectly and it was superb. Thank you so much for this!

What makes this look uber delish are the tortillas– they look super thin [whereas the quesadilla pics look like pretty standard tortillas were used. where, might I ask, did you get the tortillas for this recipe’s pic? [ie. what brand etc].

The flour tortillas for this quesadilla pie came from the Trader Joe’s in Sacramento. From what I understand depending on what part of the country you are in, TJ’s carries different brands of varying quality. Like bread, tortillas are made relatively fresh. ~Elise

My boyfriend and I are quesadilla fanatics. It’s definitely one of our staple meals, but we were running out of ways to make them new and interesting. I believe we had the following conversation about five times while making/devouring this last night:

Me: I can’t believe we never thought of this.
Boyfriend: I know. It’s amazing.

We don’t usually eat meat, and this was delicious as all veggie filled. We ended up using pinto beans, summer squash, zucchini, corn, pickled jalapenos, poblano peppers, onions and green onions. It’s the first recipe we’ve tried off the site, and it certainly won’t be the the last!

Elise – I just started reading your blog last week (and I think it’s great, by the way), and this is the first recipe I decided to make, mostly because I already had all the ingredients at home! It was seriously delicious! My boyfriend really enjoyed it too, and it fed us for 3 meals! Gotta love easy, frugal, delicious meals! mmmmmmmmmmm

This sounds wonderful – I’m making it for dinner tonight since I’m craving Mexican food! Have you ever made it with sauteed shrimp? Any thoughts on other ingredients to go with the shrimp? Thanks.

You can take a look at our shrimp quesadilla recipe for some ideas. But here’s the thing. The quesadilla pie needs to bake for a while. If you cook the shrimp that long in it, it will get seriously overcooked and rubbery. ~Elise

Elise, your site is amazing and I visit pretty much every day! I wanted to let you know that I am making a tortilla pie (again!). I love this idea. I just make mine in a skillet, because I actually do not have a pie pan! Right now it is cooking up and has scallions, tomatoes, ground beef, and cheddar cheese. I’m serving up some ripe plantains on the side, so it going to be a nice meal. Thank you thank you thank you for the idea. I can’t wait to surprise my boyfriend with it. He is currently upstairs and has no idea I am making it again (he loved it the first time).
Please stay amazing.
Astrid

I made this recipe last week. I knew quickly that it wasn’t going to be big enough for 4 people (2 teens) so I made it in a casserole dish and layered the tortillas like lasagna noodles after cutting them into thick strips. Throw away the rounded edges. I can see us making this over and over testing different ingredients. My next attempt will be w/ flank steak.

wow, what a great idea – I’m on a gluten free diet so haven’t made/had lasagna in a while, but now I can (sort of) with corn tortillas!

This also reminded me of a Japanese recipe where they take cooked rice (cooled to room temperature), divide it into 5 portions, mix your toppings of choice with each portion (separately, so you end up having different ‘colored’ rice) and then layer these into a saran wrap-lined bowl. Turn this over onto a serving plate and voila! sushi cake :) It’s great for the summer when its hot out and very appealing to the eye with all those colorful layers

We LOVE quesadillas at our house and cannot wait to try this recipe! Thanks for a wonderful website. Its fun, easy to navigate and the food looks scrumptious! I am a busy student and this looks like it would be quick and easy and tasty too. Can similar results be had with low-fat tortillas and ingredients? We are trying to “watch our waistlines” so I am searching for recipes that fit that bill. Thanks!

We don’t do low fat anything here, so I wouldn’t know what to advise you. But why don’t you try it and see? ~Elise

Hi Elise,I wanted to let you know that I made this last night and we really enjoyed it. I made it in a springform pan because it was the only pan that fit the tortillas just right. It made the dish really easy to cut and serve.

Made this last night after having had it bookmarked for awhile — it was a big hit with the boyfriend and super delicious! My layers were:1: cheese, black beans, white & green onions2: cheese, spinach, garlicky mushrooms3: cheese, more beans & onions, finely chopped jalapenos, and tomatoI was concerned about it ending up a big soggy mess but I cooked the mushrooms ahead of time with some garlic and I made sure to drain the spinach really well & it turned out perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe — I will definitely make this again!

I stumbled across this recipe, while looking for “something more” than quesadillas. After reading the multitude of complimentary reviews I had to try it. The butter is a must! I also used the springform pan (a wonderful idea – it made the transfer to a serving platter & clean-up a breeze) My layers were 1-cheese blackbeans, onions, & chopped green chilies 2-cheese, & canned like Rotel)next layer was the same as the first – I did add more cheese on top to make the lid stick. To quote my family – “this one is a winner”. “please make this again soon & “please make two next time so we might have leftovers”. Oh yes, this is comfort food. Thank you for a new family favorite!

These quesadilla pies ROCK! I used some left over roasted Anaheim Chile’s into the filling (left over from Green Chile Enchiladas on your website) and it is perfect! My kids loved it too. This will be a new recipe added to my FAVORITES … I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before! Thanks.

It was a hit with the kids! I did one flavor-layer with rice, black beans and salsa; the second layer with thinly sliced apples and smoked gruyere. The flour tortillas from Trader Joes worked beautifully. I’m going to work up some bananas foster-y version of a dessert with this concept, hey, it’s just gotta be done.